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The Top Three Foods You NEED To Avoid If You Have Anxiety

Learn how eating a healthy anti-anxiety diet and cutting out these three foods entirely can help reduce anxiety naturally.  I’ve detailed my struggle with anxiety over the years on this blog. Despite living a healthy lifestyle, it’s still something I struggle with and still something that I need to heal. And I truly believe I will heal and release my body from anxiety. I go through long periods when I have no anxiety issues at all. But because anxiety has crept back into my life, I’m attacking in from all angles: dietary – adjusting my diet to further support brain and gut health (which are closely linked) seeing a therapist for EMDR, the number one trauma based therapy (it works!) seeing my naturopath to use herbs and homeopathic remedies to heal (here is a link to my favorite supplements to improve and alleviate anxiety) In this article, I want to focus…

High Protein + High Fiber Chocolate Pudding

Looking for a chocolate dessert free from refined sugar and starches? This delicious healthy chocolate pudding is easy to make and high in protein and fiber! Looking for a healthy chocolate pudding with no refined sugar and starches? Look no further than this High Protein Chocolate Pudding! This easy recipe for healthy chocolate pudding started out with me experimenting with one of my new favorite dairy products out there. I ordered raw and grass-fed cottage cheese from a local farm and it’s the best cottage cheese I’ve ever had. It eventually inspired the creation of this super-healthy high protein chocolate pudding recipe. I used most of the cottage cheese to make a lasagna (I use it in place of ricotta because it has a higher protein content). But I still had a ton leftover. So, I thought it would be interesting to make a protein packed, high fiber chocolate pudding with…

Before and After Breast Fat Transfer

Wondering what a successful breast augmentation with fat transfer looks like? Here’s my breast fat transfer before and after story! Why I went with Breast Fat Transfer: After breastfeeding two kids, my boobs were not what they used to be. They took quite a beating. After looking at all of the options to determine which was safest, I got a fat transfer breast augmentation. Just so you know the backstory: I have nursed two babies. And I’ve pumped for the majority of those feedings. My first son, Everett was born prematurely at 23 weeks (you can read that story here). I pumped for the four and a half months while he was in the hospital. And I pumped for an additional six months when he was out. My second son, Storm was born at 36 weeks, huge and healthy and screaming. They placed him on my chest and it’s been…

Grain Free Enchiladas (Gluten-Free, Low-Carb, Paleo Option)

These grain-free enchiladas are also gluten-free and paleo friendly. A flavor-packed healthy weeknight dinner the whole family will love! Surprisingly, you can still indulge in delicious Mexican cuisine even when you’re paleo and/or cutting gluten out of your diet. Just grab some gluten-free almond flour tortillas, some gluten-free enchiladas sauce and make this delicious recipe for the cheesiest and most delicious beef enchiladas. “But wait, it that cheese on top? I thought cheese was not allowed on paleo?” I hear you and yes we can talk about this! Are these gluten-free enchiladas also paleo? Can we talk about cheese and being paleo for a second? I recently hashtagged a salad with goat cheese as paleo on my Instagram. Someone commented asking, “I thought cheese wasn’t paleo?” To which I responded, “If it’s local, organic and grass-fed and works for your digestion – it’s totally fine.” The commenter said she was…

Low Sugar Smoothie For Kids

Nearly every morning my boys ask for a smoothie. This smoothie in fact. My issue with the vast majority of smoothies is that they are pure sugar – fruit on fruit on fruit. This one is packed with protein, fiber, healthy fats and antioxidants – without spiking their blood sugar. Try my low sugar smoothie for kids! Why Most Smoothies Suck + Spike Blood Sugar Listen, I love a smoothie. They make a great snack or breakfast. They’re easy. They’re the perfect wait to load up a ton of nutrients into one neat little package. But most smoothies aren’t a ton of nutrients. Most smoothies are just fruit. Listen, I’m not a fruit hater. I’m down with fruits. But we have to eat them properly. Eating a ton of fruit in one sitting is NOT a good idea. Why? Because as great as fruit it, fruit still contains sugar and…

How To Prevent Pregnancy Naturally

When I was 22 I had an abortion. I didn’t want to go on the pill after that because of the side effects and risks of depression, so I figured out how to prevent pregnancy naturally. Turns out it’s INCREDIBLY effective. Read on to find out how! Why I Had An Abortion When I was 22 I had a boyfriend I had been dating on and off for a year and a half. We didn’t regularly have sex even when we were dating but we weren’t always super careful when it did happen. At the time I just didn’t know any better. I didn’t know about my cycle, my ovulation, or that you can only get pregnant a few days out of the month. I thought that if you had sex, you always risked getting pregnant. WRONG. So when I found my period was a little late, I took a…

How a Daily Journal Practice Changed My Life

Starting a daily journal practice is an easy way to re-wire your brain and change your life. Here’s how a daily journal practice changed my life. Why I Needed a Daily Journal Practice (and why you probably do too) We all grow up with trauma. Some of us worse than others. But we all have it. Everyone has faulty thinking and behavior patterns we’ve picked up along the way. And unless you identify them, it’s hard to know they’re present. For me, I grew up with an absent father, a violent, drug addict mother and in a very unstable, unsafe household. My brain was wired for fear. I am always hypervigilant, ready to fight or flee. As I got older and built a better life for myself, I was having a really hard time breaking the habit of fear and worry. It’s just what I became used to. It’s what…

Sea Bass with Herbs, Tomatoes & Capers

This gluten-free sea bass with herbs, tomatoes & capers is easy to make, incredibly healthy and fancy enough to fool anyone into thinking you’re a brilliant chef. Plus it takes all of 15 minutes from start to finish. I am a lucky person. We moved from DC to Charleston, South Carolina in June of 2020. No one thought we’d do it. My mother in law thought we were insane. But now, it’s 70 degrees on March 1st and I golf carted to the docks in my neighborhood to pick up fresh sea bass. Life is good. Fresh seafood is probably my most favorite category of food. Give me some oysters, a whole grilled fish, a crisp glass of white wine and I am GOOD. Not to mention that seafood is one of the absolute healthiest foods available to us as humans. Pair it with herbs, tomatoes and capers and you’ve…

How To Know If Your Kid Is a Strep Carrier

Luckily for all of you, I recently discovered my kids are strep carriers. Here’s how to know if YOUR kid is a strep carrier. Here’s the backstory: My oldest son, Everett, had some persistently swollen lymph nodes on his neck I was concerned about. Because Everett was born so prematurely (23 weeks, you can read that story here) I have to admit that I’m a little more vigilant when it comes to his health. Listen, when you’ve seen your kid almost die about a thousand times and have to be revived by nurses and doctors, it takes a toll on you. I’m not a hypochondriac, but I am vigilant. He had no symptoms of anything else, which is why it came as a shock when he tested positive for strep at the pediatrician’s office. The fact that he had absolutely no strep symptoms other than swollen lymph nodes should have…

The Best Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

These sugar cookies are easy to make and best of all absolutely delicious! You truly would not be able to tell they were gluten-free without being told. They’re seriously the best gluten-free sugar cookies! It was recently Valentine’s Day, and while it would’ve been nice to actually get this recipe out before the holiday, it just wasn’t gonna happen. Mostly because I actually had no intention of making anything sweet for Valentine’s Day, I was just going to do a nice dinner. But at 3pm on the day before V-Day, I realized I didn’t have enough bags of mini VD popcorn to go around for both of my sons’ classes. Not to be confused with venereal disease. Valentine’s Day, people. VD. So I ran to Whole Foods to buy more popcorn and lucky me – they were completely out of the cute little pink holiday bags. Which meant one son…